When managing data, governance is important

Data is something that companies have always had, yet it is also poised to dominate the enterprise conversation in ways it never has before. The explosion of both types and amount of data that companies can store and use has sent IT departments in search of effective data management and warehousing programs. According to TechTarget, however, these programs sometimes avoid the opportunity to launch with strong governance and data quality oversight. Going ahead without such features, according to the source, is a mistake.

Governance from the start

According to TechTarget, companies are launching master data management (MDM) programs to bring their multiple data systems together and move forward with unified and easy-to-use systems. Unfortunately, these projects sometimes neglect to set requirements for data quality. The founder of the MDM Institute, Aaron Zornes, told the source that companies should look after the quality of the information from the launch of a management program.

"Go governance, go early," he told TechTarget. "You've got to do governance; otherwise, it’s not sustainable, and you're not going to get the real [return on investment]. Without governance, MDM is just data integration."

Zornes told the source he believes that the time for data management to become mainstream has come, with the systems no longer simply a rising area for early adopters. He described MDM as a "mature" area with the ability to impact performance and generate ROI for firms immediately. He predicted, however, that governance plans would not get their due in 2012 and have to wait until 2014 or 2015 before the majority of companies turn their eyes from data integration to data quality.

Growth factor

Managing data and enforcing governance protocols have become critical sources of action on the data integration software market, implying that efforts to keep information well-managed are on the minds of CIOs. The recent TechNavio analysis of the data integration software market between 2011 and 2015 predicted the market will rise 11 percent each year. While the research predicted that companies might balk at the cost of integrating their data, the growth in revenue was attributed to an eagerness for governance tools.

Data is everywhere in the enterprise, meaning the need to keep information clear and usable has spread as well. On any continent and in any industrial vertical, CIOs will soon need data quality tools and the plans to enforce their use, if that time has not already come.